Ways of using tools and tricks to accomplish a task. May refer to any portion of work during any stage in the brewing or fermenting process.
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Can I use wine yeast to ferment beer?
Can I use wine yeast to ferment a beer? What sort of problems might I encounter that are unique to wine yeast trying to ferment malt sugars? What sort of flavor differences might I encounter?
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3answers
406 views
What is the proper method of pitching a starter?
What's the proper method of pitching a starter? Do I just pour the whole thing in or do I need to "harvest" a certain portion of it?
I just started using starters (.25-.5 Gallons water + 2-4 cups ...
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1answer
124 views
Long cooling before pitching — aerate now or later?
This is a follow-up to this question: Long cooling before pitching -- read that for background.
I aerate to add oxygen to my wort by pouring back and forth between buckets. If I wait before ...
4
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1answer
550 views
Is Mixing Yeast OK?
Say I wanted to make an ale which has some of the banana characteristics of a Belgian yeast, but also wanted some of the citrusy flavors of an American ale yeast. Could I achieve this by making a ...
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2answers
417 views
Using flakes in a mash
Do you just mix them with the grains or cook them first to get them gelatinized? What are the pros and cons of each method? What portion of the fermentables can be in flake form?
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3answers
1k views
Are Sparge Arms Necessary
Do you really need a sprinkler of some sort to sparge?
Does it really improve the lautering process?
How fancy does a sparge arm need to be, does it really have to rotate or can it just sprinkle all ...
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3answers
479 views
Plastic or Glass
Plastic or Glass fermentors? (Lets keep stainless steel out of this debate for now)
Each has ups and downs.
What are the main differences for the following aspects:
Shapes and configurations
Heat ...
4
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2answers
441 views
Propane tank usage in winter time
Today is 14F here in the northern suburbs of MA. In the winter time it can be tough to brew outside if you are a propane cooker brewer such as myself.
When the tank is going full bore it tends to ...
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1answer
413 views
Aging a naturally carbonated ale that was bottled from a keg
Okay, let's see if I can keep this question brief--I have a lot of followup questions that go with this so it may be difficult.
Background: Last year I decided to start doing an annual Birthday Brew ...
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1answer
405 views
Maturation - what does it mean?
Homebrew recipes often give information along the lines of "6-8 weeks maturation". What exactly does maturation mean here in terms of conditions? Is it the same as a secondary? Can the beer "mature" ...
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1answer
265 views
Use of a mash screen
I have recently had some problems with my false bottom and want to experiment with a mash screen. This might be a bit of a stupid question but I have never used one before:
Can you do the mashing with ...
4
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1answer
558 views
Does filtering beer strip flavor, aroma and/or color?
In the quest for super clear beer (and increase shelf stability) some brewers like to filter their beer.
What impact does it have on flavor, aroma and color?
Which aspects of flavor (hops only, malt ...
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1answer
149 views
Cereal Mashing for Adjuncts
What is the step-by-step process for cereal mashing adjuncts?
Please include temps and grain to volume ratios.
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1answer
125 views
Would you trust this starter?
I had one WLP001 vial of yeast that was only 14 days past its "best buy" date. I made a starter on a stir plate 2 full days before brewing. I got good growth as estimated by an increase in creamy ...
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5answers
658 views
Warming up a demijohn / carboy
As a continuation to my previous question about a very slow fermentation of sloe wine, I think my demijohn is just too cold where it is. I haven't taken readings - I'm still fuzzy on how - but judging ...
3
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1answer
139 views
Adding water before bottling
Ok. Sorry if this has been asked. I really did try to research it. LOL
I did my first batch of American Amber Ale, and made a few mistakes. I didn't take an initial gravity reading, and I think I ...
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2answers
259 views
Potential causes of unreliable pre-boil gravity measurement
I usually take a hydrometer reading immediately after sparge so that I can calculate total points of gravity (i.e. gravity reading * volume), and from there calculate what volume of wort I should ...
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5answers
438 views
How much weight to add to a dry-hop bag?
It sounds like the best place for the bag of hops should be somewhere in the middle on the carboy (or other container). This will mean that no hops are sitting only half in beer which should increase ...
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5answers
484 views
Is it possible to do full boils without a propane burner?
I currently brew all-grain using a 7.5 gallon pot on a propane burner outside at a house I currently rent. However, I'm planning to move within the year to an apartment in the city and likely won't ...
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2answers
431 views
What are some popular methods for measuring boil and HLT volume?
Particularly during lautering and during a boil, I have a hard time keeping track of water/wort volume. What method(s) and equipment do you all recommend for accurately calculating liquid volume ...
3
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3answers
190 views
Any special considerations (besides taste) when brewing with mineral water?
I understand that a good rule of thumb for brewing water is that if it tastes good it's good to use for brewing. Most of these nine springs that i've tried are way too mineraly to my taste but "7 ...
3
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2answers
553 views
Preparing Cherries for Secondary
A related question was asked about fruit in general but it didn't answer a particular question I have.
I have 6 pounds of fresh cherries ready for a holiday beer. I'm planning on cleaning/sanitizing ...
3
votes
2answers
256 views
When to dry hop a barley wine
I was planning on aging my barley wine in a carboy. Is it appropriate to dry hop upon transfer to the secondary for aging. Or would it be better to dry hop after I consider the aging process to be ...
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1answer
170 views
What's the difference between casking and kegging?
So this is how my last beer went:
After about three weeks I threw it straight into a keg. It didn't taste great, but I figured it was still young and just needed more time to condition. A few weeks ...
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2answers
306 views
How much time should a warm-fermenting yeast strain sit at the high primary temperature?
I made a batch of braggot (~46% honey) a couple of weeks ago, and used the Duvel strain (a pack of Wyeast 1388 and a vial of WLP570). Pitched at 65 and ramped it up to 82 over the course of 7 days. ...
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1answer
160 views
Basic information on priming
I'd appreciate a little input on "Priming": How do you do it? Which sugars do you use? Do you use it for all your beers and if not for which ones?
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2answers
695 views
Pellets, Plugs and Whole Hops
Hops come in three formats pellets, plugs and whole-leaf. Plugs are whole leaf hops that have been compressed into a little cake usually 0.5 ounces in size.
What are the ups and downs of using ...
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1answer
206 views
Controlling exothermic heat from primary fermentation with A/C cooling duct
In terms of brewing with Ale yeasts, I understand that fermenter temps can increase up to 10 degrees, or more, than the ambient room temperature. As a "cheap" method for keeping the temperature of the ...
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1answer
238 views
recapping my bottles? Will it ruin the outcome of my beer?
I bottled my first batch of homebrew and didnt fill the bottles all the way. So the next day I opened the bottles and poured some more beer into them and recapped them.. I this going to mess up the ...
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1answer
440 views
Small batch size brewing trub issues
Five gallon batches generate a certain amount of trub in the fermenter. However, its a relatively small percent of the total batch. I am interested in trying some 2 gallon maybe even one gallon ...
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1answer
808 views
stepping up a yeast starter
I followed the instructions in Palmer's "How To Brew" (along with some modifications from a Jamil interview that I heard), for getting a yeast starter going. It is now sitting on my stir-plate, with a ...
3
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1answer
150 views
Grains for Mashing and Grains for Steeping
Does anyone have a list they care to post that lists the "must mash" and "steepable" grains?
Might be nice content for the site overall.
3
votes
1answer
170 views
Single stage/ two stage for all grain?
I into my 3rd generation of homebrew ideology and need some input.
At first, I was a dedicated workhorse of the early microbrew scene, constructing a a welded stainless 10 gallon outfit in my ...
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1answer
376 views
What is a swamp cooler?
What type of equipment do you need to build one?
How do you use it?
What are the realistic expectations of using one?
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2answers
435 views
Open Fermentation Process
Can open fermentation be done simply by putting the fermenting beer in a bucket carboy and covering it with foil?
The purpose of the foil would be to just keep airborne contaminants from falling into ...
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1answer
205 views
force carbonating a scotch heavy ale
I am brewing a scotch ale currently and haven't been able to determine how many volumes of co2 that it should have? also, what pressure should I put the beer under to carbonate to that many volumes. ...
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4answers
2k views
Infusing a beer with grapefruit
I was recently at a beer festival and one of the breweries (Fulton) had a delicious pale ale that had been infused with grapefruit. I asked the brewer how they did it and he told me that the night ...
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2answers
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Ale bottle conditioning temperature
For bottom-fermented beers the conditioning/storage temperature is crucial and supposed to be really low (32F / 0C). Is this the same for top-fermented beers or is conditioning / storage at higher ...
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2answers
309 views
Should steeping grains be crushed differently than mashing grains?
Looking at the process for steeping grains I see that it omits a vorlauf. Would crushing steeping grains in the same way as mashing grains produce too much fine particulate? Should wort from ...
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2answers
341 views
How to treat Brettanomyces for secondary fermentation?
I'm wanting to add some Brettanomyces lambicus to an old ale after it has been moved to a secondary fermentor (it should be in the 7-8% ABV range at this point, and the primary yeast will be Wyeast ...
2
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1answer
77 views
Brewing with Tonka Beans
I am planning a recipe with Tonka Beans. At what point should I add them and approx. how many?
I know that vanilla is usually added after primary.
Should I do the same with these or can I add them ...
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1answer
98 views
Glucan rest necessary
I am brewing all-grain and have in the past always held a glucan rast when mashing. I am trying to speed up my brewing process and that rest of course slows me down quite a bit because of the heating ...
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2answers
403 views
Checking for CO2 leaks
If you have an at home draft system, how do you check for leaks in the CO2 side of the set up? How often do you need to check for leaks?
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2answers
122 views
What are some effective, cheap, easy ways to clean and re-use bottles?
After a couple year hiatus from home brewing, I'm ready to get back into it and I have been diligently consuming some local microbrews and saving the bottles in preparation. When I brewed before, for ...
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vote
1answer
715 views
corn beer steps and suggestions using a home stove
I am planning to make corn beer, what are the times you would suggest for mashing?
Is there a way to make it on a home stove?
Has anyone got experience with that?
UPDATE
A friend already does corn ...
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1answer
103 views
Does kegging require a fridge
I was planning on building myself one of these for the summer: http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/portable-igloo-cooler-kegerator-172047-post1990392/
I currently bottle all my beer and don't own any ...
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1answer
377 views
Brewing a braggot.
How much honey do you need to put into a beer recipe before you can really call it a braggot? I am sure the taste is largely subjective.
I want to brew a beer with 1/3 Honey, 1/3 2-row, 1/3 wheat. I ...
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1answer
3k views
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0answers
401 views
Infomation about the Still from M.A.S.H [closed]
i was wondering if anyone knows of any recreations of Hawkeyes Still for the TV show MASH?
or really even just some basic infomation about similar Still setups would be amazing.
at this point its ...
